THOMASVILLE, Ga. - In the SSAC Women's Soccer Game of the Week on Saturday, Sept. 16, the University of Mobile Women's Soccer team faced SSAC newcomer Thomas University (Ga.) on the road and came away with a 2-2 draw with the Night Hawks. Mobile and Thomas have met several times previous to the Night Hawks' arrival to the SSAC this year, with the Rams owning a 10-4-2 all-time record. On Saturday, the two teams produced the third tie in their history, with all three draws coming in three of the last four meetings dating back to the 2020 season.
Mobile's overall record this season moves to 4-2-2, while the SSAC record sits at 1-0-1 this year.
Match Recap: Rams Survive Second Half Scare
Mobile opened the scoring on Saturday, recording the only goal through the first half of the match. Mobile's goal came quick as newcomer Trinity Barden put the Rams up one in just the second minute. Mobile Head Coach Brian Person put Barden in the starting lineup for the first time this season against the Night Hawks, with it paying off immediately as the transfer junior picked up her first goal in a Mobile uniform. Mobile took a 1-0 lead to halftime.
In the second half, the Night Hawks answered back in the 52nd minute as Kaitlyn Herb scored the equalizer. Thomas looked like the better team in the second half of the match, racking up 16 total shots through the final 45 minutes alone. In the 83rd minute, Herb struck again and gave the Night Hawks their first lead of the match with just seven minutes remaining. For Mobile, the Rams only managed four shots in the second half, with the final shot being the most important.
Just three minutes following Thomas' go-ahead goal, Raegan Latiolais notched the equalizer for Mobile to tie the match at two goals a piece. From there, the match went final and the two teams managed a draw in the conference match of the week.
Overall, Thomas out-shot the Rams 24-11, with 12 shots being on target. Juliana Gomez, the reigning SSAC Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week for Mobile, kept the Rams in the match by securing 10 total saves. Saturday's performance marks the second time this season where Gomez has recorded 10 saves in 90 minutes. Eight of Mobile's 11 shots were on target as Thomas' goalkeeper came away with six saves. For Raegan Latiolais, the junior tallied her third goal of the week following her two-score performance in the conference opener against Point (Ga.) on Sept. 14. She led Mobile with four shots taken on Saturday.
Back Home for Conference Action
The Rams are set to play the first conference match of the season at home their next time out, hosting Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.) on Thursday evening, Sept. 21. Thursday's match is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. CT at the Jungle Soccer Complex on the University of Mobile campus.
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About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
